"Retailers have been given to January 2019 to use their existing stock of plastic straws. We are going to start an intensive education programme as we also need to present importers with alternatives rather than just stating that we are imposing a ban."

In SA, Famous Brands produces 265,000 cups of specially blended coffee a day. With 2,175 restaurants, the company, whose brands include Wimpy, Steers and Mugg & Bean, also makes 77m ice-cream cones a year. It's the big daddy of SA franchising, with a R9,7bn market capitalisation, and it wants to repeat its local success in the rest of Africa.